What's in a Name?
by ulquiorrii
Summary: Time really flies when you're having fun. DinoXOC


"Hello there."

Dino looked up to see a tall, demure-looking young woman standing in front of him with her hands behind her back. He blinked twice and did a swift look-up at the girl. Tall, brown-eyed, long wavy hair; could she be the representative of the company he was supposed to be meeting at 9? No, Dino quickly erased that. She was wearing the hospital gown. No one told him about the representative being confined in the hospital, though that would've explained why they asked him to meet them there. Besides, she looked a bit too young, even younger than him, probably.

He gave her a smile, "Hi there, miss. May I help you?" he asked.

Her eyes lit up and she smiled in response. She heaved a soft sigh and put her hands together. Then she spoke again, "Could you do me a little favor, please, mister?"

Dino was caught a bit off-guard by the formality. How old does she think he is, anyway? Nevertheless, he kept his friendly smile and said, "Depends on what you're asking."

The girl contemplated for a bit and chose the right words carefully. Dino just looked at her, amused by her quirkiness and by the face she's making. He's curious as to how this would turn up. Finally, after a few moments, she looked up and met his gaze and took a few steps towards him. She knelt down until she was at eye level with Dino who had still not yet gotten up from his seat.

She said carefully, "You see, I just got confined to this hospital and I still don't know most of the places here. My little brother was supposed to be with me, but I think I lost him. I couldn't even find my room, or even the nurse who was supposed to be looking after me. I didn't wanna ask the receptionist anymore; she looked a bit annoyed enough when I asked her about it earlier."

Well, that would be one nasty receptionist, Dino thought. He deliberated for a bit and glanced at his watch. It read 9:08. Still, no sign of the guy he was supposed to have a talk with. He looked around him and couldn't see any personnel who could tend to the young lady, even the nurses were busy. Besides, this is a pretty big hospital. Could he arrive in time when the company representative arrives? Finally, he heaved a soft sigh and gave her a smile.

"I guess it's alright. I was just waiting for my friend here anyway, and it's gotten pretty boring. Perhaps it's just right to make him wait for a few minutes as well, don't you think?"

The girl smiled softly, "That's great. I hope he wouldn't mind," she said

"Oh, I'm sure he wouldn't," he said as he got up from his chair.

"So, where should we start looking?" Dino looked at his young companion.

The girl frowned as she looked up to him, "I don't clearly remember where I'd gone through. I got distracted by the people around me . . . so I totally forgot where I was going. Sorry."

Dino sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. _This might take longer than planned_, he thought to himself.

The girl glanced at him from the corner of her eyes. "I think I could just do this alone, though. I don't want to disturb you," she said, noticing his sigh.

"Oh no, it's totally fine. You're not even disturbing me, or anything," he told her, smiling sheepishly and gesturing with his hands.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am. Don't worry."

"Okay. If you say so . . ."

Minutes passed and still they haven't seen any sign of the room she's using. Dino kept on glancing at his watch secretly and saw, with dismay that it was already close to ten o'clock. No matter how tardy the company representative could be, he was sure he'd be there by now. Meanwhile, the girl was walking beside him while humming a tune, oblivious of his dilemma.

"So, what's your name?" he said. He suddenly found it weird that the girl hasn't told him her name yet.

The girl stopped her humming and slowed down a bit, "My name?" she asked.

"Yeah. I mean, don't you think that it would only be proper for you and me to introduce ourselves after being together for this long already?"

She looked down and Dino can see her contemplating for a moment, as if she's deciding something important in her head.

"What's in a name?" she suddenly blurted out. "Mine could be Amanda, Georgina, Rebecca or Annie. I don't know, but you'll forget about it sooner or later."

Dino just smiled at the absurdity. "Oh, I promise, I won't. How could I forget the name of the girl who got lost and asked me to help her locate her hospital room?"

She stopped in her tracks and stared at him, "I'm so sorry to take your time. You could go back if you want, you know . . ."

Dino also stopped and pondered about what his words could've probably meant to her, "Oh, no. That wasn't what I meant. Honestly, I'm really pleased to help you. Please don't think about it that way," he said as he gave her a smile.

She recovered right away and grinned, "Alright, let's get going now."

Dino had noticed that she had a habit of over-thinking about some things, and he found it amusing, for some reason.

"Well, my name's Dino Cavallone. You could call me by my first name. Just Dino would be fine," he said.

"I can? So . . . does that mean we're friends?"

Dino grinned amusingly, "Of course. So, now, you tell me yours."

Again, Dino saw her hesitating, and he wondered why. "Alright, it's Nina. Nice to meet you," she said, smiling.

Dino had the feeling that she might not be telling him the truth, but perhaps she might have had some reason for doing so. He brushed it off and nodded his head, "Yeah, same here, Nina."

She smiled but didn't look at him.

Time really flies when you're having fun.

"So, how old is Dino?" she asked all of a sudden, in the middle of their conversation about classic music and how songs nowadays have gradually begun shaping up the world.

Dino had noticed that about her, as well. She had a habit of suddenly changing the subject into a totally different one. One moment they were talking about political issues, and then the next, it was all about Beethoven and Mozart. He couldn't figure out how she had changed the turn of the conversation without him actually noticing it.

And now, she was suddenly asking him about his age. This girl could never run out of things to talk about. He smirked as he thought of this.

"What is it?"

"Oh, nothing. I'm twenty-two. How about you?"

"I just turned nineteen yesterday."

"Really? That's cool. Belated happy birthday to you then," he said.

"Thanks, though now that I think about it, I'm scared of getting old," she said, her eyes getting bright.

"Why's that?"

"Oh, I don't know. Hey, do you believe those anti-ageing pills they show in TV?"

Here they go again. He never failed to find amusement in her. He shook his head and smiled.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"I don't know. You're funny," he said; smile still intact on his face.

"Oh? Well, you're the first one who told me that."

"Really? I guess, I'm just being too shallow that's all," he said as he looked at her. He hadn't noticed how pale she was before.

"Are you feeling alright? You're not hungry, or anything?" he asked, not taking his eyes off her.

The girl shook her head, "Thanks for asking."

"You sure? It's almost lunchtime and you haven't eaten anything yet, at all."

"You too. Don't worry; I'll share my food with you once we get back to my room. I have fruits and salad and dessert from last night. It was really good. I'm sure you'll like it. I just hope you're not allergic to peanut."

Dino smiled at her genuinely, "Oh, thanks. I'm not hungry, yet. But I sure want some of that desert you're talking about."

They've spent quite a lot of time walking around the hospital, talking about meaningless stuffs that to her had some meaning, and they seemed to have forgotten of why they were walking around in the first place. Talking with her made him forget about the reason why, for a moment, and of the man he was supposed to meet. Suddenly, he asked her of something that was bothering him right from the start.

"What brings you here in the hospital, by the way?"

The smile had gradually gone from her face. "It's a long story," she said.

"I'm patient enough. I'm sure I could listen to some of it," he assured her.

The girl sighed and looked straight ahead; her face devoid of any emotion. "I tried to kill myself, you see," she said; her face unaffected.

Dino smiled, "Oh, really. So, how did you do it?"

She slowed down and looked straight at him, "You don't believe me."

He stopped in his tracks and raised his eyebrow, "Of course, I don't."

The girl then sighed and walked off. Dino caught up with her and looked at her straight in the eye. "Are you serious?" he asked.

She didn't say anything for a moment and her face became unreadable. If any, her eyes were dead and her mouth set in a thin line. All of a sudden, a smile crept into her face, "See, I had you believing in my story!"

Her laugh filled the entire hallway and Dino sighed; annoyed, yet relieved at the same time. He was more relieved, though.

"Yeah, you totally did, and that's sayin' something," he said as he kept on shaking his head, laughing as well.

She couldn't stop giggling and she wiped the tears in her eyes, "Okay, I just got the flu. It wasn't entirely serious, but my brother exaggerated a bit. I couldn't believe he thought I was gonna die with this."

"The same brother we're looking for right now?"

"Yeah."

"But you said he was younger?"

"Uhm . . . yeah, and apparently, he seems to be more mature than me, though he's pretty . . . loud and hotheaded," she smiled as she told him.

"Ha-ha. Well, where are your parents?"

"They're long dead now. It's always been me and my brother."

"Oh, I'm sorry about that." They became quiet for a moment.

It was already around eleven when they finally reached the garden and Dino noticed that the girl was becoming quiet. Strange enough, her eyes looked sleepier than usual. Concerned about his young friend, he asked her what was wrong.

"I think I'm getting tired," she said, wiping the beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

It was obvious just by looking at her. Looking around, he saw the row of benches surrounding the fountain, and he said, "I think it would be better if we sit there for a while."

She merely nodded and went off with him.

"How long has it been already? Was it, like, ten when we left?" she said, the tone of her voice bordering around boredom and exhaustion.

"Nine."

"Oh, good."

Dino looked around and studied their surroundings, "Are you sure you don't remember any, maybe, clue as to where your room is? I mean, we've practically been going around the entire hospital all this time, and it's like we haven't seen any single trace of where you were from, yet," he said.

She was thoughtful for a moment. When she looked like she was about to say something, she just closed her mouth and shrugged.

"What is it?" Dino inquired.

"Nothing."

"What? Tell me."

"Oh, it's nothing. Forget about it."

Dino just stared at her for a moment. After that he gave up and smirked. "You're hopeless," he said.

"I know, right."

"Hey!"

Both of them, startled, looked at the direction of the voice. It was a young boy around seven who looked awfully a lot like her. The young boy's eyes widen as he pointed at both of them. Dino knew exactly who he was the moment he saw him.

The girl stood up and looked surprised, "Oliver!" She didn't even have time to hug him, for when he ran to the two, he went straight to Dino.

The young boy put his hands on his hips and frowned, "You, mister, may I ask who you are? And what do you think are you doing to my sister?"

Dino merely looked at the little guy, and he looked at her, then back to him.

"You were holding her hand. I swear I saw you doing it!"

"No, he wasn't!"

"What are you, a kidnapper? Oh, I know what you're planning. You planned to bring her here first, to the garden, then you let her smell some intoxicating flower that you'd appear to have just picked up somewhere, and then you—"

"You're watching too many detective stories, Oliver—"

"No, no, no! Can you imagine you've been lost for about," he suddenly paused and counted with his hands, "nine, ten, eleven, three hours already! Goodness, I couldn't even imagine if—"

She covered his mouth and let him struggle with her grip, "Just two. Anyway, Dino, this is my little brother. His name's Oliver, and his pretty loud. So sorry for that," she said, smiling.

Dino laughed and put his hands on his pockets. "What a lovely brother you have there."

Oliver managed to remove her sister's hand and stuck his tongue out at him. "You'll never get away with this!" he said.

"Oh, please, Oliver, would you mind me explaining to you first?" she said as she sat down at eye level with him.

"Okay, then let's hear it!" Oliver's arms were folded.

"Well, I got lost a couple of hours ago. I couldn't find my room, and this guy here, his name's Dino—be nice to him, okay—helped me out. Well, as you can see, we haven't had any luck finding my room, so far, so we were just sitting here because we were growing tired. And, he is not a kidnapper."

Oliver just frowned and a shade of pink tinted his pale cheeks, "Alright, then. I'm getting hungry now, mind if we go and have some lunch?" he said, trying to change the subject.

Dino smirked at both of them. Those two were a sight to see.

"Mind if you apologize to Dino first?" She said, raising her eyebrow.

Oliver gave her a deathly glare, but gave in eventually. "Alright, mister, I'm really sorry for the intrusion. Nice to meet you."

His sister kept on staring at her, her look unsatisfied. Her brother sighed and rolled his eyes, "Okay, I'm really, really, really sorry for the intrusion and for being rude." He reached out his hand, "It's very nice to meet you, mister. Could you forgive me, pretty please?"

Dino smiled genuinely at the little guy and knelt down to shake his hand. "It's Dino, okay?" he said.

"Oh, goodie, we're friends now. See that, sis?" he beamed and looked at his sister.

She smiled and nodded in approval.

Suddenly, Dino's phone rang. It was the company representative asking him where he was. He couldn't believe it; the representative was two hours late. He felt like laughing.

"What is it, Dino?" the girl asked.

"Oh, it was the friend I told you about earlier who was about to meet me here. I think he'd just arrived now. I better get going."

The girl frowned and she said, "I thought you wanted dessert?"

Dino remembered his promise. "Oh, that," then he smiled. "How could I forget about that? Of course, I still want to have some of it. I'll get to you, right after, alright?"

She smiled, "I just hope you don't get lost, though."

"I'm sure not like you," he joked. "Where's your room, by the way?"

"It's there!" Oliver said, pointing up at a room overlooking the garden. "I can't believe you still got lost, sis. You were the one who told me you wanted to see the garden every morning."

She just smiled and patted his head, "Let's go, shall we?" With that, they walked off, and Dino watched them before he did the same.

He walked towards where he came from with a smile on his face, thinking about the one girl who has saved him from possibly dying of boredom.

"Oh, before I forget . . ." the girl called off.

"Hm?" he turned around and met her gaze. "What is it?"

She gave him one of those silly smiles of hers. Dino was again amused by how childless she could seem.

"It's Aria, not Nina," and they walked off.


End file.
